Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Temecula Wedding Venue - Villa De Amore

Gates that open into the reception courtyard at Villa De Amore in Temecula, CA

This past weekend Karla and Daniel got married at the beautiful Villa De Amore in Temecula, and we were there to help celebrate. We've been to our fair share of Temecula Wineries, but this place was something else. Alesia and I tend to judge how we feel about each place based on whether or not we think we would've liked to get married there. One interesting side effect of running this business is that we realize how little we knew of what was out there in terms of vendors, venues, ideas etc. and so we're always "replanning" our wedding when we come across new things that we love. That being said, if we were to get (re)married at a winery, this location would definitely be on the short list of places we would book. Here is how it breaks down for us:

Things we loved:
- Beautifully situated off the beaten path in Temecula. This is a pro and a con, see below for details
- As opposed to some other wineries that continue to do tours during weddings or even have multiple weddings going on at once, this place is yours alone for you special day, there will be no tours or other wedding guests crashing your reception
- The staff was amazingly friendly and helpful. They love what they do and it really shows.
- It's a winery, but its also a beautiful garden, so you have a really gorgeous mix of rolling hills crawling with grapevines and beautiful rosebushes and large shade trees
- From a vendor's point of view, working at this venue was a pleasure. The set up area was open and clear, and we could pull our truck right up to where we were setting up, which makes things really easy when dealing with a photo booth.
- You couldn't ask for a better location when it comes to photography. The villa is situated up on a hill so there are very few obstructions in the view, and no obstructions at all to the west where sun sets in the evening. Breath taking.

Some things to consider:
- The first note above is a plus and a minus, and here is why: Its off of the main street where most of the bigger commercial wineries are located, and tucked back in amongst some of the smaller wineries and large residential properties (read as mansions). The downside to this is that for people unfamiliar with the area, it might be challenging to find the first time. We had never been there before ourselves, and didn't have any trouble finding place, but we could see how some people might have trouble.
- We're not 100% on this, but it appears that there is limited indoor space. That being the case, larger parties would require that the tables be set up and dinner be served outside. This might not be a deal breaker for you, and the weather in Southern California definitely allows for outdoor weddings almost year round.

This building houses the bar with the covered patio serving as the dance floor.

Other things to note about Villa De Amore, parking is plentiful and super easy which is great. They have an all inclusive wedding package that takes a lot of the guesswork out of planning a wedding, and as mentioned above, all of the staff was wonderful to work with, so that might be a good way to go. Here are a few pictures from our visit to Villa De Amore.

Photo Booth Operator Blanca posing near the booth before the party starts

Villa De Amore - Temecula, CA Wedding Venue

Rose bush lined walkway leading to the patio/dance floor

We highly recommend Villa De Amore for your wedding, especially if you are interested in a winery wedding, but would like the comfort and atmosphere of a private, exclusive event.